PRETORIA (Portal) – Ethiopian government envoys and Tigray regional forces were set to meet in the South African capital of Pretoria for the first formal peace talks since war broke out two years ago.
The talks come after the Ethiopian military and its allies, which include troops from neighboring Eritrea, captured several major cities in Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia, last week. Continue reading
The situation on the ground appeared to put the government in a stronger position than its opponents, who entered the talks, despite pressure from foreign powers, including the United States and the European Union, to halt its offensive.
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The war stems from a power struggle between the federal government and authorities in Tigray, who dominated a coalition that ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades until losing power in 2018.
The conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.
It has also further destabilized the perpetually unstable Horn of Africa region and complicated Ethiopia’s diplomatic relations with western allies, who are demanding a ceasefire.
The talks, brokered by the African Union, were classified. Sources from both sides gave conflicting information about when the in-person meetings would begin, and the African Union declined to answer media questions.
The Ethiopian government said in a statement that its delegation had left for South Africa.
Residents and militias stand next to houses destroyed by an airstrike during fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in the town of Kasagita, Afar region, Ethiopia, February 25, 2022 became. Picture taken February 25, 2022. Portal/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo
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“The government of Ethiopia sees the talks as an opportunity to resolve the conflict peacefully and consolidate the improvement of the situation on the ground,” it said.
Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a spokesman for the Tigray Forces, said the Tigray delegation had already arrived.
He said on Twitter that the focus of the talks would be an immediate cessation of hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access and the withdrawal of Eritrean forces that have fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces during the conflict.
The Tigray delegation will be led by one of its top generals, Tsadkan Gebretensae, and spokesman Getachew Reda, an official familiar with the talks, Portal said.
The delegation arrived on a US military plane Sunday, accompanied by Mike Hammer, the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, the official said.
Both sides had committed to talks in South Africa earlier this month, but they have been postponed for logistical reasons.
Pope Francis said Sunday he was following the conflict in Ethiopia with concern.
“May the dialogue efforts of the parties lead to a real path of reconciliation,” he said.
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Reporting by Siyabonga Sishi in Pretoria, Wendell Roelf in Cape Town and Nairobi Newsroom editing by Estelle Shirbon and Angus MacSwan
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